Somehow I have neglected to comment on the confirmed(!) film/television adaptations of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Well, that's about to change right now. [SPOILER ALERT]
Having recently experienced the seven-book series in its entirety for the third time, and having read the first four books of the series twice before those complete readings, I feel confident enough to provide some worthwhile commentary on the upcoming adaptation. I have also recently read and reread all of the Marvel graphic novels on which Robin Furth (who quite possibly knows more about the series than Stephen King himself) and Peter David collaborated, all the while relishing every filled gap in the storyline and trying to keep myself from drooling on the masterful illustrations by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove.
I was excited when I heard J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelhof were in line to adapt King's magnum opus, feeling they were a good fit for the project. When I heard they were no longer working on it, I have to admit that I was a little crestfallen. It seemed as if my dream of seeing Roland of Gilead on the silver screen was too good to be true after all. Then I got wind that Ron Howard was set to direct it (with Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman producing and writing, respectively), and I was more than a little skeptical. It's not that I don't think Howard is a talented filmmaker or Goldsman is a good writer (let's forget about Batman Forever as well as the even more atrocious Batman and Robin), but the pairing didn't seem as natural as the one with the creators of Lost. For lack of a better term, it seemed to me that Howard et al were not geeky enough for the project. In hindsight, this is probably because I was praying for Joss Whedon or (more realistically) Frank Darabont to option a screenplay. However, after some consideration, I have changed my mind.
One of the main reasons for this shift in opinion is the fact that Howard et al have apparently been working on this project for more than a year in order to get "such an understanding of the material that [when approached] Stephen King would say, 'Yes, that's the way into this story.'" An understanding of the material is going to be quite necessary because they are not planning an exact page-to-the-screen adaptation. They will be pulling from the entire Dark Tower universe (including the graphic novels) in order to tell the story as thoroughly as possible, but (obviously) they cannot cover every minute detail. Omissions and additions will be made along with new scenes that convey the proper information without being pulled directly from the text. I think this is a good move, and if done properly (a la Furth and David), we can have a faithful adaptation that will entertain us and show us the series in a new--if not better--light rather than simply fulfill expectations and reproduce already-established scenes and dialogue.
This brings me to the second reason I am looking forward to Howard's adaptation. If Frank Darabont is not at the helm of this project, I feel that a veteran filmmaker such as Howard is necessary to do justice to the deep and intricate storyline while at the same time tugging on the heartstrings of the mass American public. By saying this, I am not advocating a watering down of the source material; I am actually promoting the opposite--an enrichment of an already-rich tale. Roland's lost love ("I can be discreet, Sai, but as for propriety, I'm amazed you know the word."); the battle of Jericho Hill (Cuthbert riddled with bullet wounds, one eye hanging from his socket, reloading, and laughing--always laughing); Roland's pursuit of Walter ("The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."); Jake's descent into darkness ("Go then, there are other worlds than these."); the drawing of the three ("I'm still hoping for the stainless steel cookware."); the forming of a new ka-tet ("We are one from many."); the flight from the city of Lud ("Blaine is a pain, and that is the truth."); the eradication of the wolves ("Come, come, commala."); the breaking of the ka-tet ("All is forgotten in the stone halls of the dead. These are the rooms of ruin where the where the spiders spin and the great circuits fall quiet, one by one."); and the fields of Can Ka No Rey ("I come."). These and more are all memorable passages that have their own gravity. The fact that I pulled them all from memory without dragging out my copies of the novels is testament enough. Yes, I want to see these exact scenes and hear these exact quotes spoken from the lips of the characters, but I also want more than that. It is much more important for the filmmakers to get the feel for the work. I love direct book-to-film adaptations, but taking a bit of creative license--as long as one understands the source material--is welcome to those who have experienced and re-experienced the original literature. Also, this becomes necessary when the original is as large as the Dark Tower series.
Another necessity (and genius innovation) is the use of film and television as the mediums of delivery. NBC/Universal has picked up the rights to the series, and they have the pockets deep enough to fund such an epic endeavor. To begin with, Howard et al plan on releasing two feature films with a six-hour mini-series in between. The television aspect of the project will feature the same cast and crew but allow for the creators to get much deeper into the story. Howard has mentioned that he wants to "let the movies be adventure and action" while using the extra time allotted on television for more character development and such. I (and Stephen King, incidentally) find this to be the perfect option for bringing the series to life (if they can pull it off as Howard would like). This project simply could not be done with film alone; it is too large. Howard wants to use both mediums to be "as comprehensive as possible." I couldn't be happier about the decision.
Pages and pages could be devoted to casting choices, but I will leave you to your own pondering for now. Post some comments about your casting choices, and I will post mine shortly (within the week, I imagine). Here's a juicy tidbit: apparently Viggo Mortenson is at the top of the list to play Roland. Thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment